Does your character have an accent?

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role play forums. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

Feel free to post all your Mizahar related discussions here.

Does your character have an accent?

Postby Seven Xu on February 25th, 2012, 5:20 am

I often wonder this when I’m writing with other people: what does their character sound like? What do they think mine sounds like?

I’ve only been asked about it once, from Stranger, I think, who asked me to describe one of my PC’s voices. I didn’t really know how to go about explaining what I heard in my head versus what someone else may imagine when they sit down and read my writing, and it really got me thinking, and I think I’ve been intrigued ever since.

Furthermore, do you think certain areas of the world have different accents? This isn’t a question of whether they actually do or not (let’s face it, I’m sure a Zeltivan and a Lhavitian sound different, even when they’re speaking the same language), I’m just curious as to what everyone else thinks. This is all pertaining to Common, as a reference point—because Common is the English of the fantasy world!

Starting with my main PC and Lhavitians on the whole, I tend to describe it with words like “airy”, and “polite”; Seven’s voice is not especially deep, but it isn’t effeminate, either. Seven and Lhavitians, in my head, often speak politely and formally, and could easily come off as a tad pretentious. I often joke that Seven speaks Engrish because I watch too many movies, and he no doubt bastardizes his Symenos with some horrible, half-assed accent in an Engrish style.

Moving on to Symenos, it’s been openly described as Russian-esque and I can only ever think of those sultry, somewhat gruff Russian spies you see in 80’s action movies. Again, with the movies. Think Natasha Fatale from Rocky and Bullwinkle. Good analogy, fearless leader.

Lysander’s probably picked up bits of a Denvali accent by now. I can’t help but think of that accent as Acadian French or Creole; it’s probably nearly unrecognizable as the Common language to foreigners. I’m probably way off, but this is about what you think people sound like, not what they actually sound like.

To me, Syliras seems like it would be the logical hub for “proper” Common, where people have lovely BBC English accents and it sort of deviates from there. That’s what I’ve got; I haven’t given the rest of the world a ton of thought.

Care to share your character’s voice? Thoughts on other character’s voices?
Seven Xu
Rhetoric can't raise the dead.
 
Posts: 976
Words: 567538
Joined roleplay: April 30th, 2011, 11:02 pm
Location: Alvadas
Race: Mixed blood
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 2
Featured Thread (1) Extreme Scrapbooker (1)

Does your character have an accent?

Postby Laszlo on February 25th, 2012, 5:32 am

I like to think that Laszlo speaks Common with a Syliran accent. I believe his most recent former life was a Syliran woman, and it was there he washed ashore. Ben Barnes in real life is English, so I like to imagine that Laszlo speaks with that exact same inflection in his voice. However...

Laszlo spent a year in Kalinor, where he [quickly] learned a good chunk of Symenos, and got in touch with his Symenine side. I like to think that, just as moving north from California to Oregon gave me kind of a mix of drawls, Laszlo might occasionally say a word that sounds a little more Symenos-y than others. But I don't think people would notice much. A lot of people pronounce things differently in ways we barely notice. Like does "skull" rhyme with "coal" or "cull"? People say it differently.

It might be noticeable in Alvadas, which for some reason I picture having a more Bostonian accent. Similar to English, but a bit coarser.

In Symenos, however, his ungainly grasp of the language would probably be more obviously Syliran.
In the daytime I am one of Syna's fallen.
At night, I am Symenestra.
User avatar
Laszlo
Team Imass!
 
Posts: 846
Words: 635811
Joined roleplay: September 3rd, 2011, 3:36 am
Location: Lhavit
Race: Ethaefal
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Artist (1)
Overlored (1) Extreme Scrapbooker (1)
2011 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

Does your character have an accent?

Postby Naama on February 25th, 2012, 6:28 am

I love this, because I always imagined some characters to have accents (like Laz, hahaha). Especially british accents, like Murmur, I imagine him to sound especially british, although I never type it out as such. Naama, I imagine as sounding Brazilian when she speaks Common. At least, a Brazilian speaking English therefore a Myrian speaking Common translation...

I agree with you on the Denvali sounding French in my head, Seven. Ravok just seems overall UKish to me, (probably because I equate it to Imperial), Syliras like New York, baha. The others I haven't really thought about.
User avatar
Naama
Chunki Faguta
 
Posts: 395
Words: 130159
Joined roleplay: February 13th, 2011, 2:53 am
Race: Mixed blood
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 3
Featured Thread (1) Artist (1)
Extreme Scrapbooker (1)

Does your character have an accent?

Postby Cheshire on February 25th, 2012, 2:10 pm

For me, Sitkanis has always had a straight up American accent in my mind. I think a little bit of a southern drawl creeps in from time to time but only when he gets really pissed. I don't know why, but that is how it goes.

With Kendall, I have always pictured him having one of those weird accents that no one can place their finger on, like Vanille from Final Fantasy (only he does not sound like her). His accent was always explained as a mix of Zeltivan and an accent that he was not sure the origin of. I think because his model is British, he sounds British in my mind at times.

Those two are the only characters close enough to me to tell me about their accents.
Image
Avanthal Lore | Vantha | Avanthal | Morwen
~-----------------------------------------------~
When I was just a kitten,
They said I'd be a gem.
But now that I'm a Cheshire Cat,
It's odd how odd I am...
User avatar
Cheshire
Twenty Seconds of Insane Courage
 
Posts: 983
Words: 336788
Joined roleplay: August 4th, 2010, 9:12 pm
Location: DS of Avanthal and The Northern Reaches
Blog: View Blog (4)
Race: Staff account
Office
Scrapbook
Medals: 5
Featured Contributor (1) Peer Reviewer (1)
Trailblazer (1) Power Fork (2)

Does your character have an accent?

Postby Victor Lark on February 25th, 2012, 2:37 pm

I don't ever really think about Victor's accent. He does favor words and phrases when he speaks, but they have no basis in another language. In response to some of Seven's posts and in attempting other languages, his accent has been described symbolically based on what I know of his home, Ravok: the model city is one in Italy and the patron god's domain is Chaos, so it's chaotic but elegant, pretty harsh with hard consonants and a quick pace.

I've actually spent more time describing my alts' accents, maybe because they're not regular humans. Chaeli is a typical Vantha whose voice is melodic, if not a little high-pitched, and Belgar hits his Vani with the gruff baritone you would expect from a bear.
Victor Lark
How does that make you feel?
 
Posts: 612
Words: 412831
Joined roleplay: April 8th, 2011, 8:33 pm
Location: Alvadas
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 1
Featured Thread (1)

Does your character have an accent?

Postby Ronan on February 25th, 2012, 6:40 pm

I imagine Ronan to have an almost Welsh or Irish accent, since the Drykas feel very celtic to me, and close to my heart.
User avatar
Ronan
Nomadic Soul
 
Posts: 830
Words: 305663
Joined roleplay: June 28th, 2011, 9:39 pm
Location: Zeltiva, Sylira
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 3
Overlored (1) Donor (1)
2012 Mizahar NaNo Winner (1)

Does your character have an accent?

Postby Kadrath Onktaka on February 25th, 2012, 10:46 pm

I see Rath as having a deep, fluid, Jamaican style accent, but Uruk has more of a clipped, precise, British kind of accent.
Just as light brightens darkness, discovering inner fulfillment can eliminate any disorder or discomfort.
Ourselves
It takes two men to make one brother.
User avatar
Kadrath Onktaka
Four isn't a crowd; it's an Akontak date.
 
Posts: 186
Words: 88536
Joined roleplay: September 24th, 2011, 12:13 am
Location: Riverfall
Race: Mixed blood
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Journal
Plotnotes

Does your character have an accent?

Postby Xavior Silhouette on February 26th, 2012, 6:06 am

Xavior I fell probably has a very strange accent that isn't earthly in either fantasy or reality. Because of the celestial language I'd imagine it is a real choppy accent with strange pitches almost like some sort of song. Though his Zith accent I'd equate to more German. Real guttural and harsh even throaty at times mixed with primal beast growls and hisses.

Gallo Duplais is probably the more normal accents. Being a Ravokian boy I sort of feel that he'd have like a real greasy brittish/russian accent like in Clockwork Orange. Maybe even having his own version of Nadsat. But I haven't planned that far ahead my fellow droogs.

Damian, the shadow dog kelvic, I played up the irish english accent. I think I was originally gonna go for a canadian accent because I based his dog off a labrador. But I'm still up in the air about that.

Jeremiah DraDerex has a common syliran accent mixed in with a mix of different languages and phrases from other cultures since he had parents who are sailors and traders. It's sort of like the Hawaiian Creole known as Pigeon. "Sup brah? You see dat dakine, tasty keiki? Shee! Could jump dat wahine."

Those are the break down of my characters and their accents.
Life is what you make of it. Why not make it a piece of art that lasts till the end of time?
User avatar
Xavior Silhouette
Player
 
Posts: 183
Words: 195782
Joined roleplay: January 10th, 2012, 3:58 pm
Race: Ethaefal
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Does your character have an accent?

Postby Echgte on April 10th, 2012, 4:37 am

I always Imagine my character having a voice that sounds just like Jane’s or whatever her name is from the movie GI Jane http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQg28Qwmaro. I think it’s just because they kind of look like each other after she shaves her head so it got engraved in my mind. ^^
User avatar
Echgte
Player
 
Posts: 5
Words: 1159
Joined roleplay: April 10th, 2012, 12:59 am
Race: Human


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests